Monica Flores talks volunteer work with Casa Caridad

In July of 2018, Mónica Flores was signed by VCF Femenino. Previously residing in Livingston (New Jersey, USA) and an international for Mexico, she arrived in Valencia and decided to adapt to the city through voluntary work. Collaborating with the Casa Caridad charity in the city, she found a new group of friends who helped her to get acquainted with the culture of both the club and the Valencia region.

Speaking on Friday in a VCF Media interview, she spoke of how her volunteer work came about.

"I'm in my second season here. When I joined VCF Femenino I felt a little 'lost.' It was my first year living alone, in a foreign country, and I also had a lot of free time in the afternoons. I'm a person who likes to make the most of my time, so I was looking for something to do in the afternoons, and an opportunity to do volunteer work," she explained.

"I was going to Casa Caridad for two hours every week. During that time I felt very good. I was immediately accepted, and I can say now that the people there are part of my family. I went to Casa Caridad at night time, and helped with showering people and making dinner. When I went there I was very shy, and just wanted to help the people there.

"However, I was so well accepted that they saw me as someone who was mature. They saw that I was on the VCF Femenino first team and that I'd come here from the USA and Mexico. They thought I was someone important. I liked the fact that I could give them energy."

Flores added that "Spending time with that family and Casa Caridad helped me to feel more a part of Valencia CF's culture, and part of the community. That helped me a lot, because that's something that I didn't have when I came to Valencia; I didn't feel part of the community. I also like to help people, and to give other people what I am lucky enough to have. That's why I like it so much."